Canada's prolific hit-writer opens his Australian tour in the Illawarra with a full house.

The Idea of North

Kate Miller-Heidke at Star Court Theatre, and Martha Wainwright at Byron Community Centre

There's nothing like a singalong and plenty in the audience did just that at last Friday night's performance of a local production that has been circulating around the North Coast for a year now.

NORPA's 2013 season opened with the captivating gothic classic, Frankenstein, and what a pick that was to see in the renovations at Lismore City Hall.

What makes us happy? It's an elusive pursuit for us humans and the psychological underpinnings of happiness are the subject of much research.

Woody Allen finds form with his new film, that's more drama than comedy and features a brilliant cast, led by a powerful performance from Cate Blanchett

Is it madness? Is it purgatory? Or is it just male mid-life crisis? Whatever it is it is a musical descent into perdition.

Mark Grentell's celebration of an Aussie tradition is low on budget and rough around the edges, but is ultimately an affectionate tale with plenty of laughs.

The latest film from Oscar winning director Asghar Farhadi is our Deckchair Review this week - The Past.

Geoff's Picture Show (and Geoff) review the latest Alexander Payne film, Nebraska.

Last Friday, NORPA unveiled its 2014 season to a packed house at Lismore City Hall. The company's Artistic Director Julian Louis has stuck to a programming formula he's had success with over the years. The mix is one NORPA hopes will represent another year of strong houses. There are a couple of reinvented classics, some edgy new material, some drama, comedy, dance, circus, Indigenous and kid-friendly productions along with something homemade. Several shows use video technology extensively, while others ask you to just bring your imagination. In essence, there's something for everyone.

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto give extraordinary performances and make this low-budget true life tale one to remember.

It's an awful shame that Barking Gecko's latest play Jasper Jones has not got a longer season because many West Australians will feel they have missed out.

'The Importance of Being Earnest' rightfully sits in the list of classic plays, and a near full-house at Wollongong's Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on opening night of this touring production shows it's still one of our most loved.

Relaxed and resplendent in mid-pregnancy as my friend described her - and she was.

NORPA's 2015 season was announced earlier this month with the aim of drawing a broader audience to the performing arts.

Paris Whibley has made the 1,200-kilometre round trip from her family's farm near Moree in NSW to Sydney three times during her school holidays to compete at the Royal Easter Show.

The Broncos answer a number of their critics by ending a four-match losing streak with a convincing victory over the Sharks, while the Tigers snare a win against the Titans in Tamworth.

Swimming in icy water is not something everyone aspires to do but it should be, according to an outdoor swimming enthusiast.

As a river runs dry in the northern basin, the blame game continues, and farmer Andrew Watson says irrigators are being unjustly targeted over water use.

Australia's colonial banks are given new lives as bank branches close across regional Australia.

With towns across New South Wales at risk of running out of water within months, there are renewed calls for an urgent upgrade of water storage infrastructure.

Water stations reduce heat stress and other effects of drought and extreme weather events on koalas and other animals, new research finds.

Three years ago Mingoola residents welcomed African refugee families with open arms as part of a settlement program hailed for invigorating a dying country town. Now the tiny NSW town has lost all of its newest members.

A lack of detox beds in large regional centres is preventing people from getting rehab, a special commission of inquiry into ice hears.

The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses has collated data from official stewards' documents and found 122 horses died in the past year.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says there are 65 bush and grass fires burning across the state, but no emergency warnings are in place. Six fires have been downgraded to watch and act or advice status after spending much of the day as emergencies due to dry and windy conditions.

Two dangerous fires near Tenterfield and Armidale are downgraded as firefighters keep properties out of danger, but the dwindling water supply and expected strong winds will make today challenging.

With dams and creeks bone dry in drought-stricken towns, firefighters are being forced to find ways to combat blazes that are almost impossible to extinguish.

Weather conditions start to ease in northern New South Wales where firefighters continue to battle two fires that have burnt through nearly 60,000 hectares of bushland.

A bushfire threatening homes at Drake, near Tenterfield, is downgraded as the threat to houses eases.

An emergency warning has been issued for a blaze burning at Sandy Creek, east of Armidale, which has closed roads and is threatening several properties where residents have been told it is "too late to leave".

MORNING BRIEFING: The Rural Fire Service says it will begin assessing the full extent of the bushfire damage in northern New South Wales today, and a man is charged after a robbery in 2003.

With towns facing "zero day" water crises National Party MPs are frustrated not enough dams are being built, but states are spending billions to fix a system ill-prepared for crisis.

Residents in the regional city of Armidale are using their own water to save trees in their heritage-listed park, as the drought continues to deplete the district's water supply.

A man is sentenced to two months' jail after assaulting a student from Hong Kong who says he was targeted because he was wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus.

As Tasmania brings in tough new controls to limit coronavirus infections, tourism and hospitality industries are "hanging on by a thread" and operators are urging locals to support them.

Australia won't run out of things to eat and drink, and shoppers have no reason to panic about any shortages as a result of coronavirus, food growers and manufacturers say.

The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in Tasmania jumps to 16, with five cases being diagnosed on Saturday, the director of public health says.

Rowena has been in and out of jail a handful of times — she says she is doing her best to stay out, but adds "when something bad happens on the outside, you just want to run back to jail and be safe".

There are now 22 people in Tasmania who have tested positive for coronavirus, with five people being diagnosed today, the director of public health says.

Tasmanian public schools will remain open "for the time being", while pubs, clubs, sporting venues and churches close from midday.

The Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein says public schools will remain open, but parents who wish to keep children home may do so.

Gaming business Federal Group says it will not have jobs for about 1,500 of its 1,930 Tasmanian workers because of restrictions on the operation of hotels and casinos introduced to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Tasmania records six new cases of coronavirus, with four of those infected being passengers who returned to the state after disembarking the Ruby Princess cruise ship.